Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are widely used in aerospace, automobile, and other fields because of their excellent properties, such as large driving force deformation. A training method with a bidirectional effect is proposed for SMA actuators. The trained units can be heated cooled to change shape (shorten extend). an actuator drive the deformation structure. Due obvious hysteresis characteristi...

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are a very promising class of metallic materials that display interesting nonlinear properties, such as pseudoelasticity (PE), shape memory effect (SME) and damping capacity, due to high mechanical hysteresis and internal friction. Our group has applied SMA in the field of neuromuscular rehabilitation, designing some new devices based on the mentioned SMA properties: ...

Shape memory alloys have again appealed a lot in recent years as new special materials of unusual macroscopic features that make them interesting for study and research as well as for their multifunctional application in various branches of techniques. Shape memory refers to the ability of certain plastic metals and alloys to regain their original shape during the heating process due to complet...

This work focuses on application of the laser forming process to NiTi shape memory alloys. While all NiTi shape memory alloys exhibit both superelasticity and the shape memory effect, this study is restricted to a temperature range over which only the superelastic effect will be active. Specifically, this work addresses laser forming induced macroscopic bending deformations, postprocess residua...

This paper presents a new isolation device concept using shape memory alloy elements, to evaluate the possibility of its application and to investigate the effectiveness in reaching the structural design goals compared with traditional isolation devices. Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are characterized by unique mechanical properties due to solid-solid transformation between phases of the alloy. Th...

This work focuses on application of the laser forming process to NiTi shape memory alloys. While all NiTi shape memory alloys exhibit both superlasticity and the shape memory effect, this study is restricted to a temperature range over which only the superelastic effect will be active. Specifically, this work addresses laser forming induced macroscopic bending deformations, post process residua...

We address the thermal control of the quasi-static evolution of a polycrystalline shape memory alloy specimen. The thermomechanical evolution of the body is described by means of an extension of the phenomenological Souza-Auricchio model [6, 7, 8, 57] accounting also for permanent inelastic effects [9, 11, 27]. By assuming to be able to control the temperature of the body in time we determine t...

A novel Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuator consisting of a number of thin NiTi bers woven in a counter rotating helical pattern around supporting disks is rst described. This structure can be viewed as a parallel mechanism used to accomplish a highly e cient transformation between force and displacement. The actuator overcomes the main mechanical drawback of shape memory alloys, that being limit...

Shape memory alloys are well recognized functional and smart materials, which have been exploited to develop intelligent structures and devices in many fields. Of particular importance is its exciting application in the field of biomechanical engineering. In addition, further potential applications of shape memory alloys are being investigated, such as shape memory alloys-based functional compo...

This paper analyses scale effects for actuator types which are strong candidates for micro-actuation: shape memory alloys (SMAS), electrostatic, electromagnetic and piezoelectric actuators. SMA actuators are studied in detail and compared to the other actuator types on a basis of force, response time, and power densi~. Much of the analysis is based on thermal aspects and scaling effects on both...